Easton Area School District Superintendent Susan McGinley is getting a $5,000 raise for completing a doctoral degree, bumping her salary to $170,375. While McGinley has accepted a pay freeze for the 2011-12 school year (as the district’s teachers agreed to do) and qualified for the advanced-degree raise in the 2010-11 year, this bump is still excessive, and exemplifies one of the inflationary pressures built into professional contacts in the district. As the best-paid superintendent in Northampton County, McGinley could have set the stage for sacrifice for upcoming budget showdowns. Instead, she’s showing taxpayers she’s still locked into the old sense of entitlement — full reimbursement for tuition costs plus a hefty raise — while many taxpayers are losing jobs, losing homes and struggling to pay school taxes. Let them eat sheepskin.

Social media specialist Vanessa Williams was fired by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. this week after issuing a tweet on the organization’s Twitter account, seeking to connect with businesses about their summer schedules: “We start summer hours today. That means most of the staff leave at noon, many to hit the links. Do you observe summer hours? What do you do?” Williams asked. LVEDC President and CEO Phil Mitman said Williams was dismissed partly because of the tweet, which raises an interesting question: Was the message inappropriate, or just something the agency didn’t want to be made public?

The members of the Pennsylvania Senate can’t bear to give up their phoning-while-driving “privilege.” How else can you explain the watered-down bill the Senate passed, which would make “texting” at the wheel a primary offense, while talking on a phone would be a secondary offense? That means police could pull over motorists observed texting or surfing the web, but couldn’t intervene with drivers speaking on the phone — unless they are under suspicion for a primary offense. The Senate’s gutless move almost assures a cell-phone ban will fail again because the House favors a tough, no-nonsense ban on using hand-held communications devices while driving.

TROPHIES

Nathan Kline, a retired U.S. Air Force major who flew 65 missions in World War II — including support of the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge — has been volunteering and working on behalf of veterans for more than four decades. He founded the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council in 2003 and has raised funds for a Veterans Sanctuary in Allentown to help them with post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol dependency. The 86-year-old Lower Macungie Township resident has been nominated by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey for the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. Here’s hoping he receives this well-deserved recognition from President Obama.

Phillipsburg’s sesquicentennial celebration required a lot of planning, organization and fund-raising to ensure the town would have a full week of observances, historical notes and festivities — and it all came together for a proper 150th birthday party. The week’s events included a Memorial Day parade, a youth day, live music and an anniversary parade last weekend featuring floats and string bands. Here’s to all those who helped make it happen. Kudos to the Phillipsburg Emergency Squad, which celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Congratulations to winners Sal and Mario Famularo of Giacomo’s Italian Market and Grille in Easton and all 13 participants in the Cheesesteak Showdown, a 13-week calorie-consuming march sponsored by The Express-Times in an effort to find the region’s best cheesesteak — with or without sauce. The local business owners all welcomed the challenge with open arms.